Border protection agents make largest fentanyl bust in U.S. history

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced Thursday that they made the largest fentanyl bust in U.S. history over the weekend, seizing hundreds of pounds of the drug along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Officers at the Port of Nogales in Arizona arrested Juan Antonio Torres-Barraza and charged him with two counts of possession with intent to distribute for allegedly attempting to enter the U.S. with a combined 650 pounds of methamphetamine and fentanyl, worth nearly $4.6 million dollars.

Nearly 254 pounds of fentanyl was seized, with a value of around $3.5 million.

John Moore/Getty Images, FILE

A U.S. Border Patrol agent and drug sniffing German Shepherd prepare to search vehicles for drugs at a checkpoint near the U.S. Mexico border on Feb. 26, 2013 north of Nogales, Ariz.

Border protection officers found the drugs in a special compartment of a trailer, which was “laden” with cucumbers, according to the agency.

“I want to express my gratitude to the CBP officers involved in this case and Nogales personnel who selflessly perform their duties with dedication, vigilance, and professional even during a funding hiatus,” said Nogales Area Port Director Michael Humphries. “Opioids pose a real danger to our local communities and are having fatal consequences across our nation. This past weekend, our CBP officers were able to stop an enormous amount of these deadly narcotics from hitting our streets.”

The nature of this seizure runs counter to what President Trump has said about the way in which drugs enter the U.S. from Mexico.

CBP Handout via Reuters

Packets of fentanyl and methamphetamine, which U.S. Customs and Border Protection say they seized from a truck crossing into Arizona from Mexico, is on display during a news conference at the Port of Nogales, Ariz., Jan. 31, 2019.

“They don’t come in through the portals, they come in between the portals where you have no barrier,” Trump said, referring to the drug trade in early January. The Port of Nogales is considered a “portal.”